LEADER OF REAL IRA ESCAPED GARDA RAID
Leader of Real IRA escaped garda raid
At a glance
Gardai were within minutes of catching the leader of the Real IRA when they raided a suspected dissident republican firing range
Michael O'Toole
Dublin correspondent
The man who planned the Omagh atrocity narrowly escaped arrest when gardai raided a suspected dissident republican underground firing range, the Irish News has learned.
The leader of the Real IRA was in a pub just five minutes drive away from the site when gardai burst into the range last Wednesday night - seven people have been charged in relation to the raid.
Gardai believe the Co Louth man was on is way to the range close to Stanmullin in Co Meath. His capture would almost certainly have dealt a fatal blow to the Real IRA, which is planning a return to violence.
Meanwhile, gardai yesterday uncovered more explosives near where the firing range was discovered and are hopeful of making more finds as the search of the area continues.
Some two pounds of high explosives were found close to where other explosives and a rocket launcher were found in a farm on Tuesday.
Garda sources also told the Irish News that the explosives were a type never seen previously in Ireland, north or south.
It had originally been thought that the explosives were semtex, but gardai last night said they were more likely to be from Russian or some other eastern European country.
The explosives are thought to have been manufactured within the last two years, which would make them more modern than the Russian RPG grenade launcher discovered in the Co Meath search on Monday which was made in 1990.
The RIRA is thought to have established a weapons supply route from eastern Europe, where arms and explosives can be bought easily and cheaply.
At a glance
Gardai were within minutes of catching the leader of the Real IRA when they raided a suspected dissident republican firing range
Michael O'Toole
Dublin correspondent
The man who planned the Omagh atrocity narrowly escaped arrest when gardai raided a suspected dissident republican underground firing range, the Irish News has learned.
The leader of the Real IRA was in a pub just five minutes drive away from the site when gardai burst into the range last Wednesday night - seven people have been charged in relation to the raid.
Gardai believe the Co Louth man was on is way to the range close to Stanmullin in Co Meath. His capture would almost certainly have dealt a fatal blow to the Real IRA, which is planning a return to violence.
Meanwhile, gardai yesterday uncovered more explosives near where the firing range was discovered and are hopeful of making more finds as the search of the area continues.
Some two pounds of high explosives were found close to where other explosives and a rocket launcher were found in a farm on Tuesday.
Garda sources also told the Irish News that the explosives were a type never seen previously in Ireland, north or south.
It had originally been thought that the explosives were semtex, but gardai last night said they were more likely to be from Russian or some other eastern European country.
The explosives are thought to have been manufactured within the last two years, which would make them more modern than the Russian RPG grenade launcher discovered in the Co Meath search on Monday which was made in 1990.
The RIRA is thought to have established a weapons supply route from eastern Europe, where arms and explosives can be bought easily and cheaply.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0332
Published Date: 27-Oct-99
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